Yuga Labs, the company behind Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks, has recovered 68 NFTs worth roughly $500,000 that were taken in an exploit tied to Flooring Protocol. The recovery, confirmed this week, brings back a mix of Bored Apes and CryptoPunks — two of the most recognizable NFT collections in the space.
The $500,000 Recovery
The stolen NFTs were retrieved from a vulnerability in Flooring Protocol, a platform used for NFT-related services. Yuga Labs did not disclose the exact method of recovery, but the company confirmed that all 68 NFTs are now back under its control. The value of the recovered assets, estimated at around $500,000, underscores the financial stakes involved in even relatively small exploits.
The timing is notable: NFT markets have been under pressure throughout 2026, making any recovery a bright spot for holders and the broader ecosystem.
Bored Apes and CryptoPunks Returned
Among the recovered NFTs were several Bored Apes — the flagship collection that helped define the NFT boom — and multiple CryptoPunks, one of the earliest and most valuable generative art projects. Both collections have seen floor prices fluctuate significantly this year, but ownership of these assets remains a status symbol for many crypto investors.
Yuga Labs has not said whether the exploit involved a single attacker or a group, nor whether law enforcement was involved. The company has historically pursued legal action against bad actors, but in this case the recovery appears to have been handled internally or through protocol-level cooperation.
What This Means for Flooring Protocol
Flooring Protocol has not publicly commented on the exploit or the recovery. The incident adds to a pattern of security flaws across NFT infrastructure projects, where a single vulnerability can put thousands of dollars of digital art at risk. For now, the successful recovery is a rare positive outcome — one that may encourage other victims to pursue similar resolutions rather than write off losses.
The bigger question remains: how did the exploit happen in the first place? Until Flooring Protocol or Yuga Labs provides more details, users are left to wonder whether the underlying vulnerability has been fully patched.
